no one knew which end of me would show up first as i was basically swallowed by a big wave out at 'kuna's' today. i really should master smaller waves before biting on to the lip of the biggies but i love the adrenaline rush.
on big swell days i'll fin all the way out to kuna's and park it next to the other bigger wave junkies. north shore riders i'm sure they laugh at us..to them these are not big waves. i don't think i've ever even been in the water at north shore. i'm certain i'll be swept out. there's something ominous about those waters.
today i chased Keola out..this is the guy who deserves his own statue in Waikiki. i call him mmmmastahhhh or sensei. i rode these same big waves when i was pregnant with Zack but lost my nerve after being out so long. plus i think the more you learn about surfing, the more you realize how completely crazy it is and you start to get spooked. Chris told me today that if he feels butterflies he knows it's a good wave.
A very large set rolled in when I first got out there. Keola started shouting at me, dig hard Jes don't look back just dig hard and look at the beach. I looked back and saw a shiny towering beast licking its lips...mmmm girl...I was the only girl out there, easy target. Seeing that huge slick face, I cowered, punched down thru the bottom, and narrowly escaped being rolled. Only to surface to see three more, even bigger, already cresting at the top. White water is not where you want to be.
After a rest period (obviously I did not take the wave) , Bruce was telling me shark stories and pointing out the black bird in the sky who was circling..apparently that means a storm is approaching. We have tropical storm Lana sitting underneath us but I 'heard' from the weather report that the winds were skewing everything up. So we don't know what may hit.
Sensei paddled back out after a quick breakfast on shore. I had made new friends and as he arrived he told me to saddle up. We weren't discussing the game plan for very long when another set started to form..he got on the first wave to my right, I started the incline down, I could hear him shouting something but his speed overtook me, on his left, I watched him thru the ocean spray drop down in front and suddenly appear on the left of me, and all I could see was his baseball cap and the rainbows that are made when the spray hits the sunlight. I wonder what would have happened if I had stuck a leg out when he cruised by. Just kidding Keola, you know I would never do that. hehehe
But..he caught the first one so I had no time to waste to get into position, it was already too late. The waves were already reaching impossible heights and the tops were starting to look white. On Kona days, they will crest and slough over and become sort of like a landslide. But days like this they can barrel and crack you in half. One wave actually broke over, partially, and then reformed, so it had a thick wall of white on TOP of it, with an incline on the bottom. I was in a baaaaad place so I faced the shore, took a deep breath, and prepared to 'go with the flow' as Keola had instructed.
i went with the flow alright but i'm not sure if my head or butt was going first. i am not sure if i was under the wave, on top, in front..all i knew is that i had a death grip on the front end of the board, and a full set of lungs. how long can the wave last? i could not see a thing, buckets of water were getting tossed on my head, i do know that i was travelling at a very fast speed , blindly. i wonder if the lifeguard saw.
eventually i must have popped out in front of the wave, or it softened, since i was finally in front of the white and i could see the blue incline. of course i did not pull out and rest, i charged the reasonable sized incline and continued the ride back to where most NORMAL people ride the waves at 'walls' . Ran into Alan who was having a good laugh and said all he could see was pink and black going really fast in the water (that would be me dude).
Ok i really need to practice smaller waves before I do this..but i was the same way with horseback riding when i was little..i didnt want to waste time on the small fences, i wanted my horse to jump the big ones.
Keola..i owe you breakfast. i'm seriously so lucky to be able to surf with these guys and get free tips. trade this for living in the bay area? no freakin way
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